Why Transparency is Key To Building Trust And Effective Treatment
Discover how transparency in therapy builds trust, incorporates feedback, and fosters vulnerability in all relationships
Honesty can be hard for many people. You might be worried about being judged, being disliked, or hurting someone’s feelings. It is, however, an important part of any relationship. If you have experienced a relationship that is based on lies or a lack of communication, you will know that it can leave you feeling uneasy and unable to trust the other person or even your own experience. This is why there needs to be transparency in the therapy room to foster a relationship built on honesty and trust.
The Importance of Transparency in Therapy: Honesty and Vulnerability
Building a Strong Therapeutic Relationship: The Foundation for Successful Therapy
It has been proven that one of the most important factors in successful therapy is the relationship you have with your therapist. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the need for collaboration. You, as the client, are the expert in your own experience. Therefore, you need to be included in the therapy process so that the therapy can be tailored to your individual needs. A collaborative environment will not be able to develop, however, if a strong therapeutic relationship is not built first.
Another reason the therapy relationship is important is so that you, as the client, feel you are in a safe space free of judgment. If the relationship is not strong, this could replicate other difficult relationships you have experienced in the past, which were full of criticism and judgment. Therefore, the same relationship dynamic could form, leading to you not feeling safe. Whereas, if you create a secure bond with your therapist, you might feel able to explore previous wounds created by traumatic relationships.
Lastly, if the relationship is strong, your therapist can support you in regulating your emotions. This means that when you are dealing with difficult feelings, your therapist can help bring you calm by providing you with new tools to manage these emotions. They can also provide a calm base for you to rely on when you are dealing with difficult emotions.
All of these factors will increase the likelihood of therapy working for you. Therefore, if you feel that the relationship with your therapist is not strong, it might be important to talk about this with your therapist to find solutions.
Building a Strong Therapeutic Relationship: The Foundation for Successful Therapy
How collaboration and safety enhance the therapy experience.
Trust is integral in developing a healthy relationship in which you as the client can feel safe to share your full, real self. The foundation of trust is being transparent and consistent. This is why your therapist needs to incorporate certain practices.
Firstly, your therapist must be honest and communicate their approach. One of the ethics therapists must go by is providing their clients with what we call “informed consent”. This is a process in which a therapist gives you, as the client, enough information about your treatment options so you can make an informed decision about whether it is the right treatment for you. This should happen at the start of treatment and usually begins in your intake paperwork. It doesn’t end there, though, as your therapist should answer any questions you have about the treatment you will receive and should inform you about the limits to confidentiality.
Your therapist should also stick to their word or communicate about any changes. Once they have informed you of what your treatment will look like, they should follow through with this practice. Trust doesn’t just take words, it requires action. It also necessitates consistency, as trust can take time.
Lastly, your therapist should be authentic. This means staying true to their personality and method of providing therapy. Therefore, if you feel your therapist isn’t the right fit for you, it is well within your right to end the relationship and find a new therapist.
Feedback-Informed Treatment in Therapy: Why It Matters
How incorporating client feedback can improve the therapy process and results.
Something that can help in maintaining a good therapy relationship is incorporating feedback-informed treatment. This means that your therapist is not only open to taking feedback from you, but they incorporate opportunities within your treatment for you to provide feedback. They will also accept this feedback without defensiveness and will incorporate your input into the treatment moving forward.
Feedback-informed treatment entails your therapist collecting information about the outcomes of therapy, which includes changes in your overall well-being, your individual well-being, the well-being of your relationships, and your well-being at work or school. Additionally, your therapist should be asking for feedback about the therapeutic relationship itself to allow you to share any blocks to you feeling understood and heard in sessions, any blocks to you achieving your goals, and how good of a fit your therapist’s approach is for you.
If your therapist does not currently engage in feedback-informed treatment, that is okay, as this is not a widely used practice. If you are interested in this, however, you should be able to bring this up with your therapist. Below are some ideas of how to accomplish this conversation.
Tips for Clients: How to Foster Transparency and Open Communication in Therapy
Conversation starters and questions to help you navigate transparency with your therapist.
If you recently started working with a therapist, or you have been working with a therapist for a while but would like to incorporate more transparency into your treatment, here are some suggested questions you can ask your therapist:
- How can we explore ways I am feeling better so I can track my growth?
- How can we explore ways that I am not seeing growth or not feeling better?
- Do you have any system in place to receive feedback?
Also, here are some conversation starters if you don’t want to ask a direct question:
- I have been thinking about our work together, and these are some aspects that I would like more/ less of in our work together…
- I feel [emotion] about telling you this, but I want to tell you [feedback]…
- I would like to incorporate [topic/issue/exercise] into our sessions
- I would like to stop talking about [topic]/ doing [exercise] in our sessions
- I would like to talk more about my goals for treatment
When Transparency Isn’t Happening: What to Do if You Don’t Feel Safe or Understood
How to address concerns with your therapist and explore new options if necessary.
Having difficult conversations is an important part of the growth process in therapy. However, if after these conversations you still don’t feel heard, please reach out to us. It can be challenging to bring these concerns up, and it shouldn’t solely be your responsibility as the client to advocate for yourself. If you’re not feeling safe or comfortable enough to discuss these issues, you have the option to let your therapist know if you’d like to end the treatment or explore referrals to other therapists. Your therapist should be equipped to handle therapy termination professionally and without taking it personally.
If you need guidance on how to incorporate more transparency into your sessions or are looking for a therapist who practices feedback-informed treatment, feel free to reach out to us.
Be the first to reply